-TheWire.in A survey of mazdoor mandis in Surat, Lucknow and Pune shows that even many months after the lockdown ended, workers are struggling to make ends meet. “Since the time of COVID-19 lockdown, there has been a severe crisis of employment opportunities in local labour markets. Getting work for even two days a week is difficult for us. Daily wages too, for any work possible, have dipped by half,” says Rajesh Singh,...

-The Hindu Bengaluru schools are working with teachers and parents to help students overcome screen fatigue The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has not only upended the way we socialise or interact with each other, but has also altered the learning patterns of lakhs of students with online classes becoming the norm. For the last nine months, students in private schools have been glued to their screens for hours on end where otherwise they would...

-TheNewsMinute.com A majority of respondents opted for nationalised banks as the preferred financing option for purchasing a vehicle, the survey by CarWale revealed. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, online platforms have emerged as a preferred marketplace to buy vehicles digitally, according to a survey by auto research platform CarWale. The survey found that 60% of its respondents showed a willingness to buy their vehicle online,  with good deals and convenience...

-The Hindu The pandemic also has its hidden victims — over 500 million children forced out of school globally and India accounted for more than half of them. The country is all set to usher in a ‘pandemic generation’, with 375 million children (from newborns to 14-year-olds) likely to suffer long-lasting impacts, ranging from being underweight, stunting and increased child mortality, to losses in education and work productivity, according to the State...

-The Hindu The restrictions would have made it impossible for many scientists to participate in online conferences. After a backlash from scientists, the government has withdrawn a controversial order that required scientists and researchers, among others, participating in online, international scientific seminars and conferences, to get prior clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). “In view of the easing of restrictions on travel and assembly of people guidelines issued regarding political clearance...